2011 Midwayan Independence Protests
* * * * * | side1 = Pro-Independence demonstrators | side2 = Midway Territorial Police Department CSMW | side3 = | leadfigures1 = Non-centralized leadership | leadfigures2 = | leadfigures3 = | howmany1 = 100,000+ total demonstrators | howmany2 = | howmany3 = | casualties1 = | casualties2 = | casualties3 = Arrests: 15,600+ Injuries: 90+ Deaths: 1 | casualties_label = | notes = }} The 2011 Midwayan Independence Protests were a series of demonstration opposing the annexation of Midway into the United States of JBR. The aim of the demonstration is to let the JBRican government know of the Midwayan desire for independence, despite the Council for the Safety of Midway's (CSMW) "efforts of suppression". The Council's acts have been heavily criticized by the JBRican government including President Wellington and his administration. On October 3, President Wellington and the Congress suspended the Midwayan government as an act of emergency and all of the protesters who were arrested. A compromise was proposed by the Congress and was accepted, ending the protests. Background On September 12, 2011, the Union of Midway was overthrown by the Council for the Safety of Midway with help from the United States of JBR. This resulted in the creation of the Provisional Government of Midway. Eventually the Provisional Government of Midway became the Republic of Midway and was subsequently annexed into the United States of JBR. There were many that opposed this, however the Imperialist Party of JBR managed to find a legal loophole within JBRican law that allowed the annexation to take place faster than expected. Timeline October 2011 *October 2: Protests begin, 1000+ arrested *October 3: Protests spread throughout Midway, at least 1600 arrested; JBRican government intervenes and suspends Midwayan government. Compromise proposed by Congress. *October 4: 10,000 arrested. *October 5: 3,000 arrested, MHK permanently shut down. Important Events October 2nd Mass Arrests On October 2, 2011, the first day of the protests, at around 10:15 AM protesters began playing a recording of the Internationale, the former anthem of the Union of Midway, in 47 languages and 1 instrumental version. Police reacted immediately, arresting many protesters at a time. More than 1,000 were arrested, and allegation of police brutality emerged. A group of 3 women were unexpectedly maced by pepper-spray while protesting, and subsequently arrested. One man died after police arrested him while he was having an asthma attack and didn't allow him to use his inhaler. Those arrested face charges of "obstructing traffic" and "attempting to incite rebellion". Police stated that the CSMW informed them that any playing of the Midwayan National Anthem was likely to be an attempt to incite rebellion, and stated that this claim was supported by Bassols Counter-Revolution. Skeptics have stated that this is likely an attempt by the CSMW to prevent the JBRican government from hearing the voice for independence. October 3rd Mass Arrests On October 3 protests began at 5:00 AM. Protesters marched through the political district, chanting pro-independence slogans, and gathered in nonviolent manner. At around 1:00 PM a protester shouted "they can't stop us from singing the national anthem of Midway, it's freedom of speech!" and proceeded to sing the national anthem of Midway. Police reacted immediately, protesters and arresting them en masse, and allegations of police brutality once again arose. Police also surrounded a number of protesters, giving them no exit, and subsequently gave them a dispersal order. Protesters were then arrested for failing to disperse. Many have claimed that this move was purposefully done in order to give police an excuse to arrest protesters, however the police have denied this claim. JBRican intervention After the Midway Broadcasting Corporation published videos and articles on the protests occurring in Aldebaran, the JBRican government and public quickly showed signs of approval by the local government's treatment. President Wellington was at , Barbaran with several prominent leaders when he condemned the CSMW's acts against the protesters. He cited that the arrests for "obstruction of traffic" were invalid and pardoned all those arrested. Wellington also decided to suspend the Midwayan government and declared he would preside over it during the suspension. The Congress supported his plan and sent five elected senators from the Senate to represent Wellington's interests in the Territory of Midway. A compromise was proposed by the Senate to negotiate with the Midwayan government. The intervention was well-applauded by the general JBRican populace although criticized by the Imperialists. October 4th Mass Arrests On October 4, as protesters marched through their cities, the Midwayan national anthem was played. In most locations, one person started taking violent action against the police. The police, which were avoiding arresting for the playing of the national anthem, immediately rounded up and arrested protesters. It took hours, and it wasn't until 8:00 PM the police reported that 10,000 had been arrested. Almost all of them were charged with "inciting rebellion". In a press interview Police Chief Robert Nakamori stated that the people taking violent action proved that the national anthem of Midway would incite violence. They also stated that any future playing of the national anthem of Midway would not be tolerated, and protesters would be arrested and charged with "attempting to incite rebellion" if the Midwayan national anthem was played. The CSMW was accused of deliberately sending in its members to sabotage the protests by causing violence, however the CSMW have denied this claim and dismissed it as "ludicrous". October 5th Mass Arrests On October 5, protesters again marched through their cities, and again the Midwayan national anthem was played. Police didn't wait too long before arresting protesters, immediately rounding up and arresting protesters. A total of 3,000 protesters were arrested. Protest organizers stated that they would continue to play the Midwayan national anthem as an act of civil disobedience. Police stated that if they did this there would be more arrests. MHK Shutdown On October 5, after the mass arrests, MHK published an article about the arrests that occurred on October 5. Then, they announced their support for the protests, and proceeded to encourage people to join the protests. MHK then played the Midwayan national anthem in an act of civil disobedience. Police reacted quickly, shutting down MHK permanently. This move has been criticized by many free speech activists, and the legality of the move itself is questioned. See also Category:History of the United States of JBR Category:History of the Union of Midway